


Baby's First Christmas

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: (Family Is) God's Gift to Us All [1]
Category: Blue Bloods (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-14 01:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16903689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: Jamie and Eddie celebrate the first Christmases of each of their four sons.





	1. Joseph Henry Reagan

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Blue Bloods. If I did, the baby thing between Eddie and Jamie would've happened in, like, season seven. At the latest. Because they would've been married in season six. That is all.

Joseph was hardly a month old on his first Christmas Eve. In the eyes of many, it was nothing short of insanity that his parents were ready and willing to tote him around after sundown just to make sure he was present for his first Midnight Mass. In the eyes of his parents, however, it was simply carrying on a tradition that had followed the Reagan family over from the cold and unforgiving streets of twentieth-century Ireland.

The other members of the family were already at the cathedral when Jamie and Eddie arrived with the family’s newest addition, standing outside on the front steps with their hands buried in the pockets of their heavy overcoats. They were all bundled up, head to toe – Eddie couldn’t blame them, it was less than twenty degrees outside, after all – but their smiles were warm as they caught sight of the SUV pulling into the parking lot.

“Eddie,” Frank greeted warmly once she’d climbed from the car, leaving Jamie to get the baby and his carrier at his insistence. “Glad you three were able to make it,” he said genuinely as he hugged her. His genuine smile remained in place after he’d pulled away. “I hope the roads didn’t give you too much trouble.” This was directed at his son, who offered a shrug as he carefully removed the carrier from its base, deciding against removing the newborn from the seat itself when a sudden burst of cold wind reminded him of just how intolerable the chill had become over the past hour.

“It wasn’t too bad,” the youngest of the Reagan children assured his father as he approached, carrier in hand. Joseph was guarded from the conditions by a thick quilt thrown atop the carrier, protecting him from the bite of the winter wind; there would be plenty of time for those gathered to hold him during and after the service, so no one saw any reason to risk the infant falling ill with a cold so early in life. “I think we only saw one accident the whole way here. Didn’t look too serious, though, thank God.”

Frank nodded, accepting the explanation his son offered. After greetings were exchanged between the rest of the family members, they headed inside and were instantly relieved by the reprieve the warm air of the parish offered from the freezing temperatures outside. By the time the service began, they were settled into their usual pews and no longer shivering.

Eddie hadn’t attended many midnight masses in her lifetime. She hadn’t attended any before meeting her husband. There was something so special about them, however, and when the service wrapped up with a reminder to all those gathered in the church as to why they were truly celebrating later that day, she was relieved she’d decided against taking the advice of her mother and keeping the baby at home. That was not something anyone should miss out on, no matter how small. Joseph woke up halfway through the service, but he remained still in his father’s arms throughout, simply staring up at everyone around him with those big blue eyes his mother so loved. It seemed he already liked the service as much as she did.

The Reagans also did something after every midnight mass that time of year; they went to a nearby café that Eddie was almost certain had been around since before Henry was born to grab pancakes and hot chocolate. “We don’t eat until four in the afternoon,” Jamie had once explained to her when she’d questioned the tradition. “Carb-loading at two in the morning is actually usually a really good way of stopping us from all going crazy.” It was also a good way to make sure they were the only ones in the establishment. When they arrived, the only other people there were the waitress and the cook, both of whom greeted them warmly and by name. It was a tradition for them on Christmas morning, too, it seemed.

Little Joseph was passed around the table throughout the meal. He slept through most of it. By the time the kids were arguing with their father over who was going to get the check – it was an argument her father-in-law always won, so Eddie honestly had no idea why they still tried – he was ready for a meal of his own. Fortunately, the waitress didn’t even hesitate to add warm water to the formula mix already in the bottle Eddie handed over to her, so he didn’t have to pitch a fit for long before his demands were met.

“We’ll see you at ten?” Erin asked before they all parted ways. She pressed one last kiss to her nephew’s cheek and then handed him back over to her brother. “Is that still going to work for you? If Joe needs to sleep more…”

“He’s already slept most of the night, Erin,” Jamie pointed out as he adjusted the baby in his arms. “He’ll be fine. If we’re going to be late, though, we’ll call, all right?” he promised as he hugged her quickly with his free arm and then stepped away so his wife could do the same.

“Okay,” Erin agreed easily. “Bye, you two. Bye, Joe,” she said, her voice softening slightly as she addressed her snoozing nephew. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They didn’t end up having to call Erin. They actually arrived fifteen minutes early, in fact. No one dared complain. They were not a group to be upset by the opportunity to hold the baby just that little bit longer.

“Oh, my goodness,” Nicky gasped when she caught sight of the outfit her cousin wore. “He’s dressed like a tiny little reindeer. Mom, you have to see this!” she called into the kitchen. She didn’t even have to finish her sentence before her mother was heading in their direction.

“Oh, that is the cutest thing I’ve seen in years,” Erin said definitively, reaching out for her nephew. “I’ve washed my hands,” she assured her brother as he carefully transferred the baby into them.

“Didn’t doubt that, Er, you didn’t need to tell me,” Jamie murmured amusedly, wrapping one arm around his wife’s waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Is there anything we can help with?”

“You can go sit over there and watch Christmas movies with Dad and Gramps,” Erin ordered. “Sorry, baby brother, but new parents aren’t allowed to help out so soon. It was Grandma’s law; I’m just here to enforce it.”

Jamie chuckled at that. “Well, you won’t be getting much manual labor out of our newborn in that kitchen,” he told his sister, struggling to keep a straight face when she simply rolled her eyes at him. “So you could, you know, just give him back.”

Erin huffed out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine,” she agreed begrudgingly, handing the baby over to his mother. “But I am holding him all throughout dinner tonight; you got it?”

“Are you ever concerned your sister talks about holding our son like it’s a drug addiction?” Eddie murmured amusedly under her breath as the prosecutor walked away.

“Nah,” Jamie dismissed without hesitation. “That’s just Erin being an aunt. She hasn’t changed any since Jack and Sean, believe me. If anything, it’s gotten slightly better.”

If that was true, Eddie didn’t even want to think about what the brilliant brunette had put Danny and Linda through when their boys were so little.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Through Christ our Lord, amen,” Jamie finished the dinner blessing, waiting until everyone repeated his final exclamation before picking up his fork and knife and beginning the process of cutting into the roast on his plate. “You’re really planning on holding him all night, huh?” he asked amusedly. His sister had a plateful of food in front of her, as well, but showed no plans of eating it. She was instead too busy holding her nephew, who was about three sips of formula away from passing out against her under the influence and then falling promptly into a milk coma.

“At least until he’s done with his dinner,” Erin responded. “Let me have this, Jamie. He’s the first baby we’ve had since Sean.”

“Fine,” Jamie sighed amusedly. “But only because it’s Christmas.”

“Of course,” Erin agreed readily. “I’ll just have to come up with an excuse the next time I hog him, huh?”

The table’s occupants began laughing at that, and Eddie couldn’t help but feel so relieved as she joined in. She was really and truly blessed that this was the family she’d married into. She had a feeling anyone would be hard-pressed, especially in the twenty-first century, to find one even marginally better. The look on her husband’s face as he teased his siblings, the smiles on everyone’s faces as they spoke of anything and everything? That was worth more than they’d ever know to her. She promised herself yet again that she would never take moments like the one she was in for granted. They were much too precious for that.

 

 

 


	2. Collin Francis Reagan

 “Joseph Henry Reagan!” Eddie called after her eldest son, heaving a frustrated sigh when the toddler simply ignored the warning in her tone and continued on his original path down the hallway, obviously not particularly caring that they needed to be out the door in less than fifteen minutes and he was still not wearing his church clothes (or his shoes, for that matter). It was at times like this that she found it most ironic that, when her eldest was still in infancy, everyone had been oh-so-adamant that he’d not fall victim to the frequent temper tantrums and disobedience of the Terrible Twos. His case was one of the worst that she’d ever seen.

Thankfully, her husband was nearly as quick on his feet as their toddler. He caught up to Joseph before he was able to cause any real damage, scooping him up with ease and toting him back into the nursery to get ready for the day. “All right, buddy,” she heard Jamie saying as they walked down the hallway, “let’s get you ready before Mama loses her mind.”

“Mama mind?” Joseph asked curiously. She had to bite back a laugh at the innocence in her voice. That boy was too much like his father, she was learning. It was impossible to stay mad at him; he was too darn adorable.

Collin began fussing through the monitor just as she slipped her right foot into the second of her high-heeled boots, wondering yet again why she was signing herself up to possibly break an ankle whilst chasing her sons around a cathedral. She didn’t have any time to change her mind, however, because she had a fussy baby to contend with. He was not likely to understand the reasoning behind fashion crises.

“Mommy’s coming, Collin,” she assured him as she zipped up the boot. She half-walked, half-jogged down the hallway and into the master bedroom where her youngest still took his morning naps, mostly because his older brother did not understand the word quiet. “What’s the matter, baby boy?” she murmured as she lifted him carefully from the crib and held him close to her. He immediately dropped his head so that it was resting on her shoulder. “Are you just so tired?” She’d kept him up longer than usual after he first woke up to get him ready for the day, and it was apparently not sitting right with him. She was probably going to regret it immensely when he began shrieking during the father’s sermon. At that moment, however, she was just glad that at least one of her children was completely clothed.

“All right, we’ve got a fully-dressed toddler here,” Jamie announced as he came into the room with Joseph at his side. “Are you two about ready to go?”

“We are,” Eddie assured him. “We just need to get the bags. Oh, and our coats!” She rushed off with Collin in her arms, leaving Jamie to stare after her with both adoration and amusement. _Well_ , she thought as she turned to glance back at him, _at least he knows he’ll never have a boring moment ever again._

-o-o-o-o-o-

Mass passed rather uneventfully. The message was important, especially just before Christmas, and while neither Joseph nor Collin were exactly fascinated by the father as he spoke, they also weren’t screaming their heads off during hymns. Eddie had learned when Joseph was little to simply take what she could get when dealing with small children, especially when they were her own. Any situation that ended without crocodile tears was a win for her.

They’d moved the traditional Sunday meal up a few hours, as both Frank and Erin had some gala or another to attend on behalf of one of the organizations Mary had supported when she was alive. Because they were short on time, it was decided they’d order in Italian - most specifically, pizza - instead of cooking. And, well, Eddie was not one to protest against the food that’d once made up half of her diet.

Neither, it turned out, was her eldest son. “Pizza?” Joseph asked excitedly, catching sight of the familiar boxes the moment his aunt and cousin carried them in.

Nicky laughed at the look on her cousin’s face. “Well, at least you know he’s yours,” she told her aunt teasingly. Unlike his younger brother, Joseph was a Reagan, through and through, without a trace of his mother to be found. She’d been asked more than once if she was sure she’d not just cloned her husband; that was how closely Joseph resembled him. She found such questions amusing. Mostly.

“Oh, he loves pizza,” Eddie told her niece seriously. “He’s only had it once, but he is obsessed with it. You’ve made the kid’s year with this. Thanks, you two.” She stepped forward to help with the boxes after glancing back to make sure Collin was preoccupied with his toys in the playpen she and Jamie had set up in the living room.

“Daddy!” Joseph squealed just as they finished placing the boxes on the table in the dining room. Sure enough, Eddie spun around on her heel to find her husband was indeed back from the excursion he’d taken with his brother to gather firewood soon after they first arrived.

“Hi, buddy,” Jamie greeted, scooping his eldest son up into his arms. “Were you helping Mama set the table?” He asked, smiling when Joseph nodded fiercely and began babbling about the experience. He listened attentively until his son was done speaking, then glanced over at his wife with a fond smile. “Where’s Collin?” he questioned curiously.

“Playpen,” Eddie informed him, placing down the final plate and then stepping back to check and make sure everything was as it was supposed to be. “He’s not exactly thrilled about not getting to nap as late today; he looked like he was nodding off when I left him. He had your patented grumpy face and everything.”

Jamie scoffed amusedly at that. “Okay, then. Come on, buddy, let’s go bail your grumpy brother out of his prison.”

The three returned less than a minute later. Unlike before, her youngest was smiling happily as his father carried him into the room. “I think he’s okay now,” Jamie told his wife as she came to take the baby from him.

“Of course he is,” she sighed, feigning deep displeasure. “You’re his favorite.”

Jamie was still amusedly shaking his head at that one when Erin called everyone in from the living room.

“Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through  Christ, Our Lord. Amen,” Jamie blessed the meal. He waited until everyone else had repeated his sentiment before biting into the first slice of pizza on his plate.

“So, Eddie,” Frank began, glancing over at his daughter-in-law, “I hear congratulations are in order.” He smiled kindly when she simply looked confused. “Lieutenant Gormley told me on Friday that you’ve been promoted to Detective.”

“That’s great news!” Henry said from the end of the table.

“Yeah, it is,” Jamie agreed proudly, smiling at his wife as he tried to keep their youngest son from leaving the dinner table with grease-stained clothes.

“Where you going to be working out of?” Danny asked curiously, taking a bite of pizza when he finished the question.

“The Seven-Five,” Eddie responded readily. “Here in Brooklyn. Cuts down tons on my commute.”

“Well, congratulations,” Erin said from the seat next to her. “That’s amazing, Eddie.”

“Thanks,” Eddie replied. She wasn’t used to such an outpouring of support from a family - her own hadn’t supported a single one of the decisions she’d made in her life - but it was something she was adapting to the longer she spent around the Reagans. It was really a good thing, after all. “I don’t report until after the New Year, but I’m pretty excited about it.”

“As you should be.” Henry pushed aside his plate. “I remember the day I made Detective. Betty couldn’t shut me up about it.”

“From what I remember of what Mom told me, she didn’t want to shut you up. She told more people than you did,” Frank reminded his father. “And she would be just as proud of you,” he added after a moment, glancing over at his daughter-in-law. “Mary would be, too.”

“Oh, if Betty and Mary were here, the entire neighborhood would’ve known by now,” Henry told her seriously.

“Joe would be proud, too,” Danny tacked on after a few seconds. “Just, you know, quietly. He was a lot like you. Hated being the center of attention. It was, like, the one thing that made everyone realize he and Jamie weren’t actually the same person back when we were kids.”

“Thanks, Danny,” her husband grumbled good-naturedly under his breath. He then looked over at Eddie with a fond smile. “They’re right,” he told her seriously. “They’d all be proud of you.”

“That’s good to know,” Eddie replied honestly. She’d never met the Reagan patriarch, nor had she known her husband’s mother or older brother, but they were still responsible for the kindness of the individuals seated around the table. That was enough for them to earn her respect instantly.

Erin was the first to speak, changing the subject in the process. “Nicky, Adam asked about you last night,” she informed her daughter, raising her brow. “I didn’t know the two of you had been talking.”

Nicky blushed slightly at the mention of the lawyer’s name. “We’re not, like, talking, Mom. We’re friends, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s news to me,” Erin replied. “Because that boy turned as red as a tomato when I asked how he knew you. A grown man, respected lawyer, and he looked like your Uncle Jamie did the day we found out about his olive allergy.”

“Sure, Erin, bring up the day I almost died to tease your only child,” Jamie grumbled teasingly.

“I will, thank you,” Erin replied promptly. “I don’t know why you’re embarrassed, though, Nicky. I like Adam. He’s a good person and a great lawyer. He also doesn’t have any criminal relatives.” She shrugged when her daughter shot her an incredulous look. “What? I had to run a background check before I hired him, Nicole.”

“When do we get to meet him?” Henry asked from the other end of the table.

“If there is a reason for you to meet him, you’ll meet him. Mom, let us live,” the eldest Reagan grandchild demanded.

“Fine,” Erin huffed. “Let me know when you need help with the wedding plans.”

That sent Nicky into another tirade. Eddie couldn’t help but bite back laughter as it went on. There would never come a Sunday when something interesting didn’t happen at the family dinner table, she supposed. She certainly wasn’t going to complain.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

They spent that evening at the tree lot, mostly because there were less than three weeks left until Christmas and they had yet to decorate. Working full-time jobs and then raising two children under the age of three was time-consuming, to say the least. Those days, they tended to simply take what they could get when it came to celebrations.

“Okay, team,” Jamie began seriously, hoisting Joseph up into his arms while Eddie went about strapping Collin into the sports stroller they’d brought along. Both boys were so bundled up that they resembled the Michelin Man, yet she was still wondering if they needed the extra blankets she’d brought along. “What’s our goal?”

“Tree,” Joseph piped up helpfully, tugging on the end of the scarf his father wore.

“That’s right, buddy,” Jamie agreed. “We’re in need of a Christmas tree, and today’s the day we’re going to get one. Are we ready? Joe, you ready?” he asked. The toddler nodded, though Eddie was sure he didn’t really have any idea what had been said. “What about you, Mama?” he asked her teasingly.

“Ready,” she sighed amusedly, shaking her head fondly when he simply grinned at her.

“Great. How about Collin. You ready, Col – okay, well, he’s asleep,” Jamie pointed out, gesturing to the ten-month-old tucked beneath a pile of blankets in the stroller. “But I think he’s ready, too. And _I’m_ ready. So, let’s go.”

It didn’t take them long to select a tree. Joseph was a stubborn little boy, but he was also very agreeable when it came to certain things. It turned out being in the cold without his favorite beverage – chocolate milk – was one such thing. They left less than half an hour after they arrived. Collin was still asleep when they loaded him into his carrier again. Joseph wasn’t quite so calm, but he also wasn’t his usual bubbly self. It seemed the business of the day was getting to both of their boys.

“Mama,” Joseph mumbled as she lifted him from his car seat when they arrived home. Jamie was unloading Collin on the other side of the car. “Tree?”

“Yeah, honey, we’re going to decorate the tree,” she assured him, turning her head slightly to press a kiss to his rosy little cheek. “Daddy and Uncle Danny just have to get it upstairs, okay?” She was thankful her brother-in-law and his boys had volunteered for the job; helping Jamie with it herself would’ve likely resulted in a trip to the hospital when she fell backwards down the steps after tripping over something left behind by a child – likely one of her own. That would not be a fun story to tell Maya at work come Monday. Her partner probably would laugh about it for years to come. That was not something Eddie was willing to sign up for.

Nicky had come over, too, although more to help with the two small children underfoot than to volunteer her services for manual labor. “I actually just got this manicure,” she told Danny sarcastically when he teasingly asked if she’d like to help out. “I’ll help out with the decorating, though,” she offered, taking Collin from her uncle’s arms so that he could help his older brother with the tree.

“Of course,” Danny sighed, shaking his head. “The fun part.”

Nobody ended up breaking any bones on the way up to the apartment – thank God – but they certainly burned most of the calories they’d consumed at lunch. As soon as the tree was set up – after no small amount of arguing between the brothers – they went about the process of adding decorations to it.

“Mama, is!” Joseph babbled insistently, holding an ornament decorated with Winnie the Pooh and all his friends out to his mother. “Up?” he asked hopefully, tilting his head as she took it.

“You want to put this one up on the tree?” Eddie translated helpfully, catching sight of the confused expressions on both her nephews’ faces. Joseph nodded. “Okay. You want to help me?” she asked, lifting him easily to rest on her hip. He carefully placed the ornament on one of the branches, having seen his father do the same thing just seconds before. “Oh, it looks so pretty!” Eddie complimented him.

“Tanks,” Joseph replied happily. “Down, Mama,” he requested, wriggling insistently in her hold. “Help Daddy.”

“You’re going to go help Daddy? Okay,” Eddie laughed, placing his little feet down on the ground and watching amusedly as he ran around to the other side of the tree to do exactly as he’d said he would.

It took them two hours, in total, to completely set up the tree. Danny and the boys ducked out as soon as it was all finished – Danny was meeting his partner for drinks to help her get over the drama she’d suffered at her own family’s Sunday dinner, while Jack and Sean both had their own reasons for leaving. Eddie was relatively certain those involved members of the fairer sex, too, though in a vastly different capacity. Nicky soon followed them out the door. She told her uncle she wasn’t meeting with Adam, which meant that she was definitely meeting with Adam. Eddie wasn’t going to spill her secrets, though. Every once in a while, a girl needed to be able to hang out with a nice guy without being surrounded by the half-dozen law enforcers she just so happened to be also be related to.

“Christmas is going to be great, huh?” Eddie murmured, rubbing her hand up and down Joseph’s back. Collin was already passed out in Jamie’s arms next to her.

“Yeah,” Jamie murmured back. “It’s going to be awesome, babe.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Joseph and Collin were both still too young to fully understand Santa Claus, so Eddie and Jamie were not pulled from sleep at five o’clock after attending midnight mass and eating their weight in pancakes the way most parents of young children were. They did end up unwrapping the vast majority of the gifts at home before heading to Bay Ridge, however, mostly because Joseph got overexcited about the toys and Collin got overexcited about the wrapping paper. Despite it all, they walked through the door of his childhood home three minutes before the clock struck ten.

“Are they wearing _Christmas sweaters_?” Erin asked incredulously as she made her way into the living room to greet the four of them. “They are!” she answered her own question, smiling widely at the sight of her young nephew’s reindeer-printed sweaters and jeans. “You outdo yourself every time. This is better than last year’s little Santa Claus. You were very cute, though, Jo-Jo,” she assured her nephew.

“Are they here?” Henry called as he came into view. Somehow, his loud voice didn’t startle either of the boys. “Ah, good,” he said as he caught sight of them. “We were worried you might’ve gotten caught up in traffic. They’re saying on the news that there was some kind of closure on the way over.”

“Must’ve happened after we made it through, because we didn’t see anything,” Jamie assured his grandfather. “Where’s Dad?” he asked after a moment, glancing around to see if the police commissioner was nearby.

“Office. Nicky,” Henry clarified when his grandson raised an eyebrow.

“Ah. Adam?” Jamie returned, shaking his head when Henry nodded. He turned to his sister. “You couldn’t just let them live, huh?”

“I – well, no, I couldn’t, but after the Nicholas debacle, can you really blame me?” Erin asked.

“Yes,” Nicky replied as she exited her grandfather’s office. “We can. But we won’t, because it’s Christmas.”

“Oh, thank God,” Erin sighed in relief.

“Yup. He is the reason we have Christmas,” Nicky deadpanned.

Jamie smirked at that. “Well, she’s definitely part Reagan,” he murmured to Eddie under his breath.

Christmas dinner took place at five o’clock, after they’d already eaten enough snacks that they weren’t starving. Eddie had a theory that stomachs either expanded during the Christmas season. That, or everyone’s eyes collectively grew larger, because there was something about Christmas that made it so much easier to consume thousands upon thousands of calories in one sitting.

After the blessing, which was given by Nicky, everyone dug in. Collin was in a highchair next to Jamie, while Joseph sat happily in the seat next to his great-grandfather. Both of Eddie’s children were covered in mashed potatoes by the end of the meal. She couldn’t bring herself to mind, though. She’d come to realize that look of absolute joy on her children’s face was a lot of what the holidays were all about. After spending decades of Christmases not knowing the holiday’s true meaning, she certainly wasn’t going to turn her back on it now.

“You were right,” she murmured to her husband as they headed out the door late that night, having stayed behind longer than they’d anticipated so that their youngest son could have his first taste of pumpkin pie.

“Oh, yeah?” Jamie murmured back. “About what?”

She smiled and then stood up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his flushed cheek. “It really was a great Christmas,” she whispered into his ear.

For that moment, for that day, for the rest of their lives - that would always be enough. 


	3. Liam Patrick Reagan

Liam Patrick Reagan was born at the end of August, just eighteen months after Collin. Unlike his older brothers, he more closely resembled his late paternal grandmother than he did either of his parents. His eyes, however, were the same brilliant blue as his father’s, and they lit up in much the same way that Jamie’s did when he was truly happy. When he was four months old, Jamie and Eddie learned that nothing made their youngest son happier than Christmas. It was one of many things he had in common with Joseph and Collin from very early in life.

December was a busy month for the family from the very beginning. Eddie had made Detective Sergeant several months back, and while she loved the slight freedom her new position afforded her, she did not enjoy all the other responsibilities that came along with it nearly as much. Jamie was dealing with issues of his own at the Two-Nine as he tried to wrangle recent Academy graduates. Needless to say, they both came home exhausted most nights. Arriving to three excited children who had no desire to sleep made things more stressful, of course, but neither of them would have it any other way.

They christened Liam on the first Sunday of the month. They asked Spencer and Hailey – the newly-engaged couple they’d inadvertently brought together back when they first became partners – to serve as godparents. Both of their friends accepted enthusiastically, of course, and the ceremony was held after Mass. Liam was clad in the christening gown worn by his father and brothers before him. Eddie was positive he’d hate them for that the first time he brought around a girl and they broke out the photo albums. As she gazed down at him after the event was over, though, she just couldn’t bring herself to care.

Spencer and Hailey weren’t able to make it to the post-christening celebration at the Reagan family home, as they already had plans with her parents and needed to make it in time to honor them. The traditional Sunday dinner was just slightly more celebratory than most. Little Liam was passed around the table until everyone had gotten their fill of holding him. Joseph and Collin toddled about, as well, laughing as they were scooped into the arms of their aunt and uncle and thrown in the air. Eddie almost teared up as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. It amazed her still, how people who had endured so much pain could still show such happiness in the tiniest of moments. Then again, perhaps that was what life was truly all about.

Jamie came to sit beside her after Liam had passed out, his hand still resting against the bottle she held. Her husband pressed a kiss against the side of her head and then pulled her into his side. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, the sound of his voice muffled slightly by her still-wavy hair as he spoke.

“Yeah,” she responded, swallowing to rid herself of the lump in her throat. “I’m just…” She trailed off, shrugging, and then offered him a fond smile. “I’m just so happy things figured themselves out, that’s all. Because I hate the idea that I almost ended up missing out on this.”

“You were never going to miss out on this,” Jamie assured her. “No matter what it took, no matter how long we waited – it was always going to be you, Eddie.”

He’d said it before, of course. For some reason, it meant more that time.

“Yeah,” she murmured back. “It was always you, too.”

They directed their attention back to their sons, who were currently trying to knock Danny onto the ground by tackling his legs. The eldest of the Reagan siblings was playing along, acting like their gentle blows actually inflicted pain. It was one of the cutest things that’d ever gone down in the Reagan home. It was also something that proved impossible not to smile at least slightly at.

“So,” Jamie said conversationally, glancing down at his youngest son, “you want another one?”

Eddie laughed at that. “Let’s wait until this one celebrates his first birthday before we talk about that,” she advised. “I’m only insane enough to get pregnant twice in under a year once, my love.” She sighed as she stared down at a snoozing little Liam. “No, though, seriously, feel free to bring it up the _day_ he turns one.”

Jamie shook his head amusedly. “I’ll do that, honey,” he replied dryly.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They took all three boys to meet Santa Claus at the local mall six days later. Joseph was the only one old enough to understand the point of the tradition, but Collin seemed content enough to babble about what it was he wanted at the moment and then pose for a photograph, and Liam was peaceful enough in Santa’s arms that he didn’t even stir from his deep sleep, not even when the flash went off. Eddie considered the trip to be a win for those reasons.

“Ooh,” she said, pointing out a decorated gingerbread house in a shop window as they strolled through the mall. “We should buy a kit. I haven’t decorated one of those things since I was six or seven. I kind of miss it.”

“Okay,” Jamie agreed without protest. Then again, her husband never protested when she tried to embrace the Christmas spirit. Eddie was pretty sure it stemmed from his desire to make up for all the mediocre Christmases she’d experienced whilst living under her parents’ roof.

They picked out a kit fairly easily. The kids were only interested in the icing and candy aspect of the whole thing, and each kit came with both, so the designs were up to their parents. Eddie picked the simplest of the houses, pointing out when Jamie questioned her decision that decorating with three children underfoot was going to prove difficult enough without bringing a gingerbread mansion into the household. After they’d bought the thing, they made their way happily out the door, content to spend the rest of their day putting in the work to make it look as beautiful as the example on the front of the box did.

“You know, this is a lot more fun than it was when I was a kid,” Eddie commented several hours later, gluing a red gumdrop to the slope of the roof with a tiny dot of icing. “Probably because, unlike my nanny, you don’t yell at me every time I steal a piece of the candy from the box and have it for myself.”

“I rode in a patrol car with you as your partner for almost five years, Ed,” Jamie reminded her amusedly, shifting Liam in his arms as he added some sweet decorations of his own to their house. “I learned the hard way to never come between you and food.”

“It was a good lesson to be taught early on,” Eddie pointed out, glancing down at her middle son when he pulled on her sleeve. “Hi, Collin,” she greeted softly. “Are you ready to help Mommy and Daddy decorate?”

“Help,” Collin agreed, holding out his arms so that his mother could pick him up. Joseph was sitting near his father, practically asleep atop the tube of icing he held. “Joe?” he asked after a moment, reaching over to tap his brother on the shoulder. “Joe help?”

“Joe’s a little sleepy right now, buddy,” Jamie explained. “But he’ll help in a little bit, okay?”

Collin nodded, then plopped himself down in his mother’s lap. “Momma help,” he said again.

“All right, then,” Eddie laughed lightly. “Well, here. You just glue that right there, okay…”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They ended up attending Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, as they always did. Joseph and Collin walked in with their grandfather, one boy clinging to each of his hands. Liam was bundled up in Eddie’s arms, protected from the chill in the air by the warm wool coat his mother wore, as well as the half-dozen blankets she’d piled atop him. The four-month-old was half-asleep as they made their way into the cathedral. By the time they’d settled into the pew, he was completely passed out.

“Joseph Henry,” Eddie murmured to her eldest son, halting him immediately in his attempt to escape halfway through the final hymn. “Sit with your daddy until the singing is over.” The little boy instantly complied, and Eddie returned her attention to the choir at the front.

Collin was rather sleepy when the service ended, so he exited the cathedral in the arms of his grandfather. Joseph walked along in front of them, glancing back every few moments to make sure his family remained behind them. As was tradition, they all eventually ended up at the café that Henry and Betty had discovered when Frank was still young.

“Hey, guys,” Danny greeted as his younger brother and his wife brought their three children to the large table in the middle of the dining space. “Eddie, we got the, uh, car carrier thing for you,” he informed her, gesturing to the device designed to hold the baby’s seat.

“Yes, thank you,” Eddie said, offering a thankful smile as she placed the carrier where her brother-in-law had gestured. Jamie went about settling the older boys in their seats while she did that. “Joseph, buddy, what do you want to eat?” she asked once she’d gotten settled in her own seat.

“Pancakes?” her eldest son asked hopefully, offering a cheerful smile his mother was unable to resist.

“Okay,” she agreed with an amused sigh. “But only because it’s Christmas, all right, baby? This is a special occasion, you understand?”

Joseph nodded his understanding, but Eddie was fairly certain he was doing it only to get his plate of pancakes. She couldn’t blame him in the slightest if he was. He might’ve been a replica of his father, but he was still his mother’s son.

Collin was also allowed to order pancakes – albeit a smaller stack – and both boys ended up covered in syrup by the end of the meal. Liam didn’t seem all that jealous of his brothers’ pancake consumption; he was rather content to remain in a milk coma in the arms of his aunt after he woke up halfway through the meal and downed half a bottle in less than ten minutes.

“Noon tomorrow, right?” Erin asked after the bill had been paid – Frank had won the argument amongst the men and his daughter, as he always did, and covered every meal purchased – and they’d exited the eatery. “You’ll still be able to make it in time?”

Jamie nodded. “We’re going to be up by six at the latest,” he pointed out. Unlike the previous year, Joseph was very aware of who Santa was. “But we’ll see you then.”

“Can’t wait,” Erin called as she climbed behind the wheel of her SUV and turned the key in the ignition, causing the engine to roar to life.

“You think she’ll ever get over her obsession with being an aunt to our kids?” Eddie asked conversationally as they made their way to their own vehicle.

“Nope, never. Not by a long shot,” Jamie shot down immediately.

Eddie laughed at that. “Yeah,” she agreed as they strapped the boys into their seats again. “You’re probably right.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Miraculously, Joseph didn’t wake them up until seven-oh-four in the morning. That didn’t mean much to them, however, considering that he woke them up by running into their room half-dressed and screaming like a banshee.

“Joseph Henry Reagan, quiet down before you wake your…” Eddie trailed off with a groan as two distinct cries sounded down the hallway. “Brothers,” she finished lamely, leaving Jamie to deal with their eldest son in favor of rushing to the aid of their youngest two.

“Liam, buddy, it’s okay,” she soothed as she made her way into the nursery. They’d bought a house when she first learned she’d fallen pregnant for a third time, which meant the boys didn’t always wake each other. When they did, though, it quickly became a nightmare for their parents. “Joseph’s just a little excited, that’s all.”

“Mama,” Collin babbled from his own crib. “Up.”

“Okay, Col, I haven’t forgotten you,” she assured him, propping Liam up on her shoulder and carrying him over to the changing table. “I just have to clean up your brother first, all right?”

Jamie walked into the room a moment later, a pajama-clad Joseph trailing behind him. “C’mon, Col,” he said, lifting his second-born son from the crib. “Let’s go downstairs and put some breakfast together, okay? _Then_ we’ll go and open gifts.” The final stern statement was directed at their eldest son, who still bounced anxiously on his heels.

“Yeah,” Eddie huffed under her breath as he came to kiss her cheek. “Have fun with that one, honey.” Their son was a stubborn little boy, even at three. If he wanted to open gifts and wasn’t allowed to, then they’d soon have a fight on their hands.

She trekked downstairs with Liam a few minutes later. The little boy was clad in a red sleeper with reindeer on the feet. After dressing up two little boys to the nines for their first Christmas, they’d settled on simply keeping all the kids in pajamas for the day this time around. After all, it wasn’t like any of the outfits would survive Christmas dinner.

Jamie made scrambled eggs, full of colorful bell peppers and meant to get the older boys their nutrients by way of food they enjoyed. Liam ate a hearty meal of his own while his brothers opened their presents from Santa (which he also received but did not greet with quite so much excitement). The family of five left for the Reagan household at nine o’clock, a full three hours before everyone else was expected to arrive for the day’s festivities. It wasn’t exactly like their presence would be unwelcomed. Frank and Henry both loved Jamie and Eddie. The fact that they now came with the three youngest members of the family only added to that love.

Henry greeted them at the door. Joseph happily hugged his great-grandfather’s leg before beginning to recount the list of gifts he’d received under the tree and in his stocking from Santa Claus overnight. Henry listened intently to every word his grandson uttered, making appropriately enthusiastic sounds whenever prompted by a quick glance from the little boy. It started all over again the second Joseph set his eyes on his grandfather.

“Hello, Eddie,” Henry greeted cheerfully the moment his great-grandson’s attention was elsewhere. “You look lovely as always.”

“Thanks, Henry,” Eddie responded with a sunny smile of her own, shifting Liam in her arms when he began to stir from his brief nap. “What can I do to help? Erin’s not here yet, is she?”

“No, she was meeting Nicky and Adam for a late brunch,” Henry explained. “They had something to tell her,” he added with a knowing smile.

Eddie grinned at that. Adam Gallagher, a prosecuting attorney they’d all met through Erin’s work, had been in Nicky’s life since the start of the New Year. They’d been discussing marriage since their six-month anniversary. It seemed the lawyer had decided it best to stop talking and instead start acting on what he’d said. “Well, with what we all do for a living, good news is always welcome news.”

“It is,” Henry agreed as he guided her into the kitchen. “As to your question about help, I’m working on some pies at the moment. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about pie crusts, now would you?”

“Are you kidding? It was the only thing my mother ever trusted me with when we did Thanksgiving for ourselves. Put me to work, boss,” she ordered.

Henry laughed at that. “You got it.” And he did just that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nicky was the one asked to give the blessing that year. “Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.” As soon as everyone else had repeated her final word, she picked up her fork and began to dig into the roast prepared by her grandfather and mother over the course of the past few days.

Danny was the first to speak after the group began eating. “Where’s Adam today, Nick?” he asked mischievously, in the way only an uncle could. It was meant to embarrass her – at least slightly – but he also genuinely wanted to know why she’d arrived to the meal with her mother and not with the man they could only presume was now her fiancé.

“He’s with his parents,” Nicky explained. “They’re going to church and then having dinner. We’re going to meet up to go see the lights later on, though.”

Eddie made a show of shivering. “You have fun with that. It is way too insanely cold out there for me right now.”

“It is way too insanely cold out there for any sane person,” Erin corrected amusedly. “But those two are crazy kids. Crazy about each other, of course.”

“Mom,” Nicky said warningly.

“What, Nicole? Your news is your news. You share it when you’d like,” Erin assured her.

“It is Christmas, Mom. Not really meant to be my day,” Nicky pointed out. “And it seems everyone already knows, so how about I just wait until tomorrow to confirm it?”

“Works for us,” Danny agreed, just as everyone else nodded. “So, Joseph,” he said, quickly changing the subject and directing his attention to the oldest of his nephews, “what did Santa bring you for Christmas this year?”

And it was impossible, as she watched her son tell the story of his morning once again and his aunt and uncle, as well as his cousins, listen attentively to his every word, for Eddie not to tear up slightly. She shifted Liam in her grip, turned her head to press a kiss to his cheek, and smiled emotionally. There was not a doubt in her mind that she’d given all three of her boys Christmases to remember in the years – or, in her youngest’s case, months – since they’d been born. In her opinion, that was one of the greatest gifts of all.


	4. Finn Michael Reagan

Eddie’s water broke at seven-oh-four on the evening of the twenty-third. Unlike his older brothers, all of whom had taken nearly a day to make their appearance, Eddie and Jamie’s fourth son was eager to say hello to his mother. He was born at nine-oh-six, after less than an hour of pushing, and came out kicking and screaming, angry at being evicted from his home three days earlier than anticipated. Just like with the other boys, Eddie fell in love the moment the squalling, grime-covered little creature was placed on her chest.

“Hi,” she murmured, blinking back tears of her own as she smoothed her hand over a head covered in hair. “Hi, baby. I’m so glad you’re here.” She smiled up at Jamie as the baby quieted against her breast, his angry screeches turning into soft whimpers that eventually tampered off until he was just breathing in and out. “Well, we have another son,” she laughed, sniffling as a single tear ran down her cheek. “Erin owes Danny twenty bucks.”

Jamie chuckled wetly at that. “Yeah, I guess she does. He’s going to have fun trying to get it from her.”

“Yeah, he is,” Eddie agreed tearfully. “Oh, the boys are going to be so excited. Have you called your dad yet? I want them to meet him.”

“I’ll call him in a second,” Jamie promised, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “You did so good, honey,” he murmured against her hair. “Again,” he added with a slight laugh. “You’re such a badass.”

“Sorry to do this to you, Mama, but I have to steal your little guy from you for a minute,” a nurse told Eddie apologetically. “I’ll bring him back the second he’s clean and weighed, though. That okay with you?”

“Of course,” Eddie sniffled. “Just make sure he’s okay.”

“You don’t have to worry, Detective. He’s perfect,” the nurse assured her as she carried the crying baby away. Apparently, Eddie’s newborn son disapproved of their separation just as much as she did.

The nurse stayed true to her word. The baby was back in his mother’s arms within minutes. “Eight pounds, four ounces, and eighteen inches long,” the woman reported as she handed the freshly bundled little boy off to Eddie. “You’ve got yourself a perfectly healthy baby boy, Detective Reagan. Does he have a name yet?”

“Finn,” Eddie responded definitively. “His name is Finn Michael Reagan.”

The nurse smiled. “Welcome to the world, Finn,” she said, jotting down the baby’s full name on the paperwork that would need to be filled out and then ducking out of the room to give the new parents of four a few moments to bond with their newest son before they were bombarded by the eager members of the family waiting in the lobby.

Jamie went outside to tell them about the birth instead of simply calling his father. Eddie spent the few moments she had to herself getting cleaned up and then gazing down adoringly at her newborn son. He was a replica of his father, just like Joseph had been, but he had her eyes and his grandfather’s dark hair. He was just as completely perfect as the other three boys had been, and Eddie wanted to sob from pure joy as she stared down at him.

Jamie returned less than ten minutes later with their other three sons in tow. Joseph and Collin, now five and three respectively, walked in first. Little Liam had been taking a nap out in the waiting room, it seemed, because he was still half-asleep in his father’s arms. The moment they caught sight of her in the bed, however, all three boys were alert and ready to race over. Joseph and Collin immediately did. Liam squirmed until his father put him down so that he could do the same.

“Hi, guys,” Eddie murmured, adjusting her hold on Finn so that the three boys could get a better look at him. “Joseph, Collin, you have another little brother now! Isn’t that cool?”

Joseph nodded slowly. “Mama, is he okay?” he asked curiously. “He’s red.”

“He’s okay,” Eddie assured him, smiling at his concern. “He’s just had a long few hours, that’s all.” She smiled at Liam when Jamie hefted him up so that he could better see his mother and little brother. “Liam, you’re a big brother now.”

“Baby?” Liam questioned, pointing at Finn.

“Yeah, this is the baby that was in Mommy’s tummy,” Eddie confirmed. “He’s here now. Isn’t that so cool?”

“Play?” Liam asked hopefully.

“He’s too little right now,” Joseph wisely informed his little brother. “He’ll be able to in a little while, though. Right, Daddy?”

“Yeah,” Jamie told his son. “He’ll be able to play with all of you in a few months.” He smiled at Eddie. “The others want to come in as soon as you’re ready for them,” he informed her.

“Well, then, tell them to get in here.” She was already as put-together as she was going to get. She’d just had a baby, after all.

It didn’t take long for everyone to file in. Henry led the group, still steady on his feet despite the fact that his hundredth birthday was less than a year away. He smiled at the sight of his four youngest great-grandsons, then beamed at his granddaughter-in-law.

“Finn, huh?” he asked as he came to stand beside her. “Strong name for a strong boy. I noticed someone finally took my opinion into consideration.” He smiled when Eddie shot him a confused look. “His middle name. You named him after St. Michael.”

“Well, he’s had our backs for years now,” Eddie pointed out. “He’s the reason we’re around to have this kid. So, you know, we figured we should honor him.”

“I know I’ve said it a thousand times since you first brought her home, Jameson, but I will say it again. You’ve got a good one here.”

“Believe me, Grandpa, I know,” Jamie assured him.

Eddie smiled over at Nicky and Adam. The newlyweds had postponed their honeymoon to be there for the holidays and the delivery. “You want to hold him?” she asked the younger woman. “He’s out cold, so he probably won’t even notice if we move him right now.”

Nicky glanced over at Henry, the customary first choice to hold the baby. He shrugged with an easy smile. “I’ll get my turn,” he assured her. “You’re his godmother. Go on. Bond.”

Nicky did as she was told, carefully accepting the family’s newest member from her uncle’s arms and staring down at him for a few moments. “Hi, Finn,” she said finally, brushing her finger down his chubby little cheek. “I’m Nicky. You sure picked a fun time to show up, little guy.”

Eddie leaned back tiredly against the pillows with an exhausted smile, listening to her older boys babble and watching on as the others met the new baby. She’d done every one of her kids a favor by listening to her heart instead of her head when it came to Jamie, and it was moments such as this one that made that abundantly clear.

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Okay, baby, I know you’re cold,” Eddie soothed as Finn screamed his little head off. She was trying – and failing – to get him into the footed fleece pajamas they’d bought for him to go home in. “It’s cold, I know, but I can’t help you with that if you keep wiggling. You have to be – still.” She sighed as Finn cried even louder. “Okay, so you don’t agree with that, but it’s the truth, I promise you.”

“Are you trying to reason with our one-day-old child?” Jamie asked amusedly as he reentered the room, car carrier in tow.

“The sleep deprivation is real,” Eddie commented seriously. Finn finally stopped wriggling around long enough that she was able to slip his arms and legs into the sleeper. She also managed to sneak on his hat before he could manage to talk himself into completely losing his mind again.

“You ready?” Jamie asked, setting the carrier next to Finn and waiting for Eddie to nod before carefully lifting him and placing him in it. “Okay, then. Let’s go home.”

The drive home was slow, as it always was when they had such new and precious cargo in the backseat. Everyone was at the house when they arrived. Danny and the boys came out to help unload the car, while Nicky and Erin helped Eddie and Finn inside.

“It’s Christmas, Mommy!” Joseph said excitedly the moment she walked through the door.

“Christmas!” Collin repeated.

“I know!” Eddie replied with just as much enthusiasm as her sons. “Did you have fun at mass last night?”

Joseph nodded enthusiastically. “And I got to have _two pancakes_ afterwards!”

“ _Two pancakes_ , huh? Well, that is cause for celebration all on its own.” Eddie smiled at her sister-in-law. “Did you thank Auntie Erin and Nicky for taking you?”

“They did,” Erin assured her.

“Good.” Eddie settled onto the sofa and allowed Erin to hand Finn to her. “Hi, my little one,” she murmured. “I’m so glad you’re here today. Merry Christmas.”


End file.
